Town wrestles with bulkhead extension

Saturday

Dec 4, 2010 at 12:01 AMDec 4, 2010 at 4:13 AM

WELLFLEET — Severe erosion along and in front of Sewell's Gutter in Wellfleet poses a threat to public health and the environment, Dave Bennett, president of Bennett Environmental Associates, told selectmen last week.

Marilyn Miller

WELLFLEET — Severe erosion along and in front of Sewell's Gutter in Wellfleet poses a threat to public health and the environment, Dave Bennett, president of Bennett Environmental Associates, told selectmen last week.

Bennett, who is representing Tom Stossel and Kerry Maguire, the owners of the house at 5 Samoset Avenue, where the erosion is occurring, sought emergency approval from selectmen to extend the wood bulkhead 28 feet to the east of the current location to a concrete rubble revetment.

"Such work is intended to absolve an issue with coastal erosion that has exposed the septic system and eroded the town roadway” to the threat of public health and safety, he said.

The conservation commission, on Nov. 17, issued Bennett an emergency certificate to place 70 cubic yards of sand and to construct a 30-foot extension of the wood bulkhead bordering the property. The bulkhead will extend into Hiawatha Road, which is a town-owned road that leads to a town landing. But these approvals were made by the conservation commission, subject to approval by the selectmen.

The board withheld approval for the bulkhead extension, deciding to take another look at this issue at their Dec. 14 meeting. By then, it will have more information on the situation from the conservation commission, which will meet Dec. 13, and from the board of health.

The commission, in a memo to selectmen, noted that "this area serves as a town landing and the erosion has caused the exposure of an old concrete rubble pile that is protecting Hiawatha Road. The exposed rubble may present a hazard to the public who are using the area," the commission said.

The selectmen have a dilemma. They were unaware of the erosion problem, which has extended to town property. Do they help the property owner by allowing the use of town property to extend the bulkhead and possibly prevent access to a public landing? Or do they protect the public access at the cost of the homeowners losing the use of their property?

Selectman Jerry Houk wondered why they had no knowledge of the erosion problem until the property owners went to the conservation commission. “Why are we just finding out about this now? Why don’t we have people to go out and look at the revetments?”

"This is unprecedented erosion," Gordon Peabody, of Safe Haven, told the selectmen. "The land is gone. The bulkhead was originally built 28 feet too short and it requires another 28 feet, which would take it right to the corner of town property. I don't know if it would be in the best interests of all parties to have public access over a private structure,” he said, “but certainly access should be by design, rather than by default."

John Morrissey, an abutter, said he often uses that beach and wants to make sure that if the revetment is extended, a staircase is put in so people will be able to get to the beach.

Selectman Berta Bruinooge said, "I don't want to see the town not have access down there."

Shellfisherman Joel Fox agreed. "This is a bulkhead across a town landing," he said. "We've lost so many landings in town. Whatever is done there, I'd hope the engineers would consider some way to keep a town landing a town landing. The idea of putting another bulkhead there and cutting out a town landing does not sit well with a lot of people in town."

Bennett said Stossel and Maguire are willing to pay $35,000 for construction and design to stabilize the situation so they can use their property. But it is not just their problem, it is the town’s.

“How the roadway fares in the future is beyond their scope,” said Bennett.

Jacquie Wildes Beebe, board chairman, summed it up saying: “There’s a private property owner who has a problem, and there’s the town that has its own problem, which is that we have allowed erosion on our property. Now that the property owner has gone to the conservation commission for help, maybe we should be asking the conservation commission to help us out.”